Coexisting With Your Fire Marshal

By Jay Wright — GoatMan Hollow – IAHA Member

JayRite@aol.com

How many times have I heard, “My Fire Marshall is just a jerk! Why won’t he get off my back? Here I am ready to open in three days and he wants this or that, or this AND that! He just doesn’t like haunted houses, that’s all.” Answer? Too many times.

Far too often, haunted attraction owners/operators set themselves up for failure, right from the start. With so many things to plan and purchase each year: actor recruitment, costume and make-up procurement, set design, advertising, e-tickets, security, the list goes on; it is very easy to take for granted that you have a safe attraction, and everything should be just fine when the inspector comes. The operator presumes that they’ve taken the seminars and read the safety manuals. They proudly display the IAHA logo or they’ve had the same inspector for the last three years. Some assume that all of those things, plus a proclamation to the inspector that they follow the “industry standards”, will preclude a “drive by” certification.  All of a sudden you find out (usually about 3 days before you open) that the old inspector that you’ve had for years has moved on, and here’s this new young inspector, ready to walk through your attraction and prove his worth by dragging one of those “haunted houses” that he’s heard so many stories about through the wringer. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will.

Here’s a few tips or tricks and common sense I’ve learned over the years on how to prepare yourself for a thorough safety inspection from the Fire Marshall. I was tempted to call him the Fire Marshall from Hell, but that’s not the right approach. We want the Fire Marshall to be our friend. And frankly, he wants the same things you do. You and he both want your event to be incident free. The bottom line is this: You want your patrons and crew to be as safe as possible for the duration of your event. And so does your Fire Marshall. So don’t look at him as an enemy, nothing could be further from the truth.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Talk to your Fire Marshals/Inspectors long before the inspection, if only to start a dialog. Set up a meeting, either at his convenience (where he likes, when he likes) or at the attraction site, if practical. I say, “if practical” because you need to be talking to the inspector before or just as you are starting construction. Remember, it is far easier and cheaper when safety measures are built in as you go. The Fire Marshal may be too busy to meet, so stockpile any questions you may have, like new codes or procedures, for a phone conversation, if necessary. Try to get them all in at once. You don’t want to be calling him every time you come up with a new one. Then you’re a nuisance. Bad step. If he is too busy to meet you for a preliminary walk through, as I like to call it, it still makes a great impression on him. By taking a proactive approach, it makes him feel as though you are thinking alike. And you are! Aren’t you? Of course you are!

Know your codes before you build. This is especially important if you’re just starting out as a new attraction. Safety MUST be included in your plan from the beginning. It is far easier and cheaper when safety measures are designed and built in as you plan and build. Egress clearances, amount of emergency egresses, and furthest allowable distances between emergency egresses, number of fire extinguishers, proper exit sign placement, etc. These things can be showstoppers and very expensive.

Example: Will you be required to have a sprinkler system? Most jurisdictions, if not all, require any enclosed structure over 1,000 square feet to have a sprinkler system installed. You can apply for a waiver or exemption, and this can be surprisingly easy, in some places. If you’re thinking “no way,” at least try it. What’s going to happen? If they say, “no,” so what? You were already expecting to be restricted from opening without one. Weren’t you? You weren’t REALLY going to try and slip it by, hoping that the inspector wouldn’t bring it up. Were you? Of course not. Because you know that NOTHNG makes an inspector more ornery than that. But here’s one way to try to get a sprinkler exemption in a pinch. Talk to the local volunteer fire department. The closest one to your event for starters. Tell them what your problem is, and strike a deal with them. If they can assure an apparatus (fire truck) on site, for the times that you are open, each night and put that commitment in writing, you surely can dig into your coffers after the event, and make a worth while contribution to the fire department. What’s worth while? That’s up to you. And it does hurt, but you’re opening. What if they aren’t interested? Thank them for their time and move onto the next VFD. There’s another one right down the road, I promise.

Make safety the number one priority. If you don’t, then you won’t be haunting for very long. It’s a tough pill for a haunter to swallow, I know. Nothing ruins a finely detailed set that you’ve spent days on end to make perfectly detailed and creepy enough to rival the best, like a big ugly orange EXIT sign, and Fire Extinguisher. But, it is an unfortunate necessity. We’ve trained our actors to inform the smart-alecky guest that points out the fire extinguisher that “It’s the haunted fire extinguisher from Hell!” It usually gets a laugh but you have to work with what you have to work with.

I think every haunter has come up with some things that they wish they could do, but know that they can’t, so they don’t.  Some operators do, and they try to get away with it. Some get caught, and then complain that the inspector doesn’t like them. Others don’t get caught and are very fortunate that no one gets injured or worse, that year. Those are the “haunted houses” that the young inspector I mentioned earlier has heard so many stories about. Don’t be one of them.

Inspection Day. Try to schedule this as early as possible and practical. It’s tough to do. We all know that the haunt has got stuff going on all the way up until the opening minute. But the rule of thumb for an inspection is that he wants to see the haunt in operation mode. Here’s an example of things that need to be substantially complete: Lighting for your patron thoroughfare, as required. Exit signs illuminated and ready to be displayed on back up power, if required. Fire extinguishers in their proper place. Evacuation plan in hand for his approval, and displayed where he thinks best, in as many places as he likes. (So have lots of copies). Any actual doors being used on the patron path, (none is a good rule of thumb) must be installed and operational. Egress doors and paths cleared. Make sure your electric/effects/control room is clean and organized, and paint can free. There are, of course, many other things. The list goes on and on. Like I said, it needs to look operational. If not, he’ll be back. And you don’t want him back, believe me. Do what ever you can to get that sticker on the first try.

Be respectful and courteous. If you have a low threshold of patience, maybe someone else should be walking with him. Use your best judgment in choosing the right person to do this, even if this means you have to eliminate yourself for the inspection walk. If he asks you a question, answer honestly and right away. Any hesitation means that you don’t know the answer and are making up the stuff coming out of your mouth. Commonly known as B.S. Don’t lie, at all. You’ll get caught. Even if the only honest answer is that “you don’t know”, or “you didn’t know that”, tell the truth. If the Fire Marshal doesn’t believe you, he will start to lose trust and scrutinize even more. If you are in disagreement with him, and you are 100% sure that you are right, stand your ground but be polite. If he becomes belligerent, take the high road. It will make a complaint that you may need to file later on, that much more credible. Oh, and be sure to have a note pad with you. Look interested for goodness sake.

Try to avoid asking questions during the inspection. He may feel that you are trying to distract him. Small talk to lighten the mood is ok, but keep it light. Especially avoid saying things like, “I wanted to see if it was ok with you if we did, this?” Whatever this may be. Inspectors don’t like surprises. So best thing to do is go ahead and do this, and if he sees this and protests, make sure it’s something that can be stricken at that very moment. Which brings us to the next tip.

Have plenty of people on stand by. If the inspector spots something that he doesn’t like, but it’s something that can be taken care of right there and then, do it! Immediately, and right in front of him if possible. Even if it’s something that you don’t particularly think is a big deal or even required. If it’s easy, don’t argue. Take care of it. That goes a long way, Baby! Like I said, we want that sticker on one try.

Have some extra credit items available. There are some things that you should have in your arsenal, even though they may not be required, or asked for. Better to have more than you need than not enough: If you don’t have a relationship with the nearest fire department, establish one. If you already do, why not take it a step further. Invite them to hold an off-hour training mission at the haunt (you can even flood the building with smoke to make it super realistic). The fire marshal will certainly find out about it, and you’ve got a fire department just down the road that knows the ins and outs around your haunt already, in case of a future emergency. It’s win win! (By the way, it’s really fun too).

Have some MSDS’s (Material Safety Data Sheets’) for some of your more raw materials in a binder and organized. Flame Retardant is a good example. Speaking of Flame Retardant; when you’re done spraying, be sure to save the 5 gallon buckets. Leave them somewhere with where they can be seen. Each bucket usually has a product data or an MSDS taped to the side. Give him a copy, if he asks for it. (Our inspector did, just this year). After you have had your safety and evacuation training meeting with your cast and crew, presuming you have these, have everyone sign a sheet with a brief explanation of what was taught, and have it posted or at least filed nearby. If you have people that are trained in CPR, let him know it. If you have done anything above and beyond the requirements, simply because you felt it was prudent, let him know about it. Don’t be shy. Stuff like that helps seal the deal, especially if the inspection is already going well. It lets him know that you take safety as seriously as he does.

The long and short of it is basically this. You want an incident free event, and so does your fire marshal. You know that you already have common ground there. So work with it. Nurture your relationship over the years, but never take it for granted. Work with your inspectors, not against them. They are not the enemy.  They are protecting the public. That’s their job. So we might as well help, within reason and code, of course. Ours is an industry that promotes fear, killing and maiming. Let’s all do our part to keep those things make believe.

About the Author: Jay Wright is the Co-founder of GMH Productions and GoatMan Hollow, a seasonal haunted attraction in Riverdale, Maryland in the Washington, DC metropolitan region.  He is a Superintendent for PN Hoffman Construction Development in Washington, DC and has been an IAHA Member since 2004.